The Sector Scorecard is an annual exercise which benchmarks the performance of housing associations and provides an assessment of value for money. Since 2017 it has helped ensure that the sector is accountable to tenants and stakeholders, with measurements covering business and financial performance, supply, asset management and customer satisfaction.

Business health

Housing associations remain robust, secure organisations, with a median overall operating margin of 21.5% in 2019/20. This represents a four percentage point fall since the previous year, reflecting increased health and safety compliance costs and the impact of the ongoing rent reduction up to 2020.

Development

Across the UK, the sector increased the supply of new social housing. Following two years of steady development rates, 2019/20 showed growth with an increase of around 9,000 new units nationally compared to the report for 2019. Development of homes for sale and rent on the open market remains part of the business plan for a significant minority of housing associations.

Outcomes delivered

Housing associations achieve high rates of satisfaction with their services. Typically, between eight and nine tenants out of 10 are satisfied with the service provided by their housing association landlord.

Effective asset management

Housing associations are making effective use of their homes and investing in them. Over 99% of housing associations’ homes are occupied, and for every pound spent on planned maintenance, 64p is spent on responsive repairs.

Operating efficiencies

Housing associations spend £4,023 each year managing and maintaining each social housing property, which represents a 6% real term increase in headline social housing cost per unit since the 2019 report. This reflects increasing investment in existing homes.

Download the sector scorecard analysis report 2020

The provider level data is also available to download [Excel]